Page 68 of The House Beyond the Dunes

Damn. A tape would have been very helpful. “What did you see on the tape?”

Jana sighs. “The guy looked like a sugar daddy. Money. Possessive. In the last images, he was escorting Nikki out of her bedroom. Had a solid grip on her arm.”

“Did she look upset? Was she crying? Laughing?”

“Her head was down, but she wasn’t fighting him if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Did you see his car?”

“I did. The camera was on top of the refrigerator and shooting out the front window. The car looked black. Shiny. Pretty. Expensive.”

The more I think about the deleted footage, the more pissed I’m getting. What a wasted opportunity. “Know where they were going?”

Jana arches a brow as if my questions are too annoying. “I have no idea. She wasn’t carrying her purse or a bag.”

Nikki wasn’t expecting to be gone long. “And that’s the last time you saw her?” I ask.

Jana comes around the counter, jangling her keys. She’s ready to get out of here before another customer arrives. “The late arrivals always wander around the store but never buy anything.”

I reach the door first and block her exit. “When did you see her in the flesh?”

“June 28, I think. I was moving out.”

“When did you retrieve your camera?”

“July 3. That was the last time I’ve been back. And if I had any doubts about moving, the blood on the bed sealed the deal. I boxed up my remaining stuff and left as fast as I could.”

“Have you tried to call Nikki?”

“No.”

“Did you call the cops?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m on parole, and I don’t need the cops in my life. That’s why I paid my rent before I split. I don’t need that landlord filing a warrant.”

I’m no different from Nikki. If I vanished, I’m not sure anyone would come looking for me. “If you hear from her, can you call Joey’s Bar?”

“Why?”

I dig a rumpled receipt from my purse and scribble Joey’s number. Next, I press her for her number and write it down on another paper scrap. “You can find me at Joey’s.” For now, anyway.

“Wherever Nikki is, she isn’t coming back. She’s landed her sugar daddy and is likely living in a swanky apartment and screwing like a rabbit.”

“Does that sound like Nikki?”

“We knew each other all of two weeks, and neither one of us was in that trailer much.”

“What was your first impression of Nikki?”

Her shoulders slump a little. “She was struggling to get by, and when a gal is tired of working her ass off, she’ll do all kinds of crazy shit.”

Chapter Eighteen

LANE

Sunday, December 31, 2023

3:00 p.m.

---